[Jimbuna]

Perhaps one of the luckiest men on the planet right now?

Tourist pulled out of going on missing Titanic sub over fears ‘crew were cutting corners'

Thrill-seeker Chris Brown, 61, signed up to join a mission to the wreck of the Titanic on the now missing submersible but changed his mind over doubts about its controls. A multi-millionaire digital marketing tycoon, Mr Brown paid a deposit to join a dive at the same time as Hamish Harding, who is one of five people missing after the sub lost contact with its mother ship on Sunday.

Mr Brown told The Sun he felt concerned at learning the vessel was controlled by a games console-style device.

The pilot uses a modified Logitech games controller with twin thumbsticks and four buttons which allow the operator to manoeuvre the vessel.

Mr Brown said he felt further unease because of technical issues and delays, which left him questioning whether the firm, OceanGate Expeditions, was cutting corners.

He said: "I found out they used old scaffolding poles for the sub's ballast - and its controls were based on computer game-style controllers. If you're trying to build your own submarine you could probably use old scaffold poles. But this was a commercial craft.

"Eventually, I emailed them and said, 'I'm no longer able to go on this thing'. I asked for a refund after being less than convinced."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/new...4bfb6df6&ei=14